


Memories and Nightmares

by Ausomerus



Series: Bug Fables Oneshots [3]
Category: Bug Fables (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Identity Issues, Kabbu and Vi are asleep in this one, Nightmares, cordyceps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ausomerus/pseuds/Ausomerus
Summary: Leif has a nightmare about what happened to him (spoilers for chapters 3, 4, 5, and Leif's Request)
Relationships: Leif & Venus (Bug Fables)
Series: Bug Fables Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768396
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Memories and Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> I'm posting this using my phone, so I'm going to add tags tomorrow.

Leif near silently tumbled out of the bottom bunk of the bunk bed he shared with the rest of his teammates. He quickly sat up, as quietly as he could.  _ We don’t need to bother Vi and Kabbu. They need their sleep. _ The cordyceps inside him had stilled, but rather than being calm and limp, it was tightly coiled around itself. Memories assaulted his brain, causing him to tightly wrap his wings around himself. The main words that stuck to his brain were the ones he wished to forget again.

“It’s a failure. Discard it.”

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.  _ Why do Kabbu and Vi keep us around? We aren’t a bug. Not like them. We’re a zombie. A fungus disguised as a bug. A failed experiment. _

He had only just noticed he was trembling. He could barely hear anything over his own heartbeat. He summoned a small sphere of ice to play with to try to ground himself, try to stay out of his own head. It froze to his hand instead. It broke apart a few seconds later.

He shook his head.  _ We can’t even focus enough to use our magic.  _ He noticed something moving in the darkness, where Chompy would sleep whenever they were on more dangerous quests, or during the night. She quickly walked over to Leif, making a couple concerned noises at him before butting her head against his hand. He smiled slightly before whispering.

“We are sorry if we woke you, Chompy. This hasn’t been one of our best nights.”

Chompy laid down in his lap. The duo watched as a familiar bud appeared from the ground. Leif quietly spoke.

“Hey, Venus. Sorry if we were bothering you if you heard us through the plants.”

The goddess spoke, keeping her voice hushed to keep from waking the beetle and bee that lay sleeping only a few feet away.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. What are you doing awake at this hour?”

Leif shook his head.

“We had a nightmare. Not a surprise considering what we remembered the other day.”

Venus frowned.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Leif thought for a bit.

“We think that would help us.”

Venus nodded, listening as the moth told her what he remembered, what had happened to him.

“From what we’ve gathered, the Roaches were doing experiments on bugs. They figured out that moths were especially good at being hosts of cordyceps, not to mention magic. We were a failure. A failed experiment. In a lab we found in Snakemouth Den, we saw another moth. The cordyceps had taken them over. We don’t want to become like that. We don’t want to lose ourselves. We don’t want to become a monster. Venus, we wish we could just forget it all. It would explain why we reacted so strongly to the doctor in the Hive’s idea of putting us under and cutting us open.”

The goddess nodded.

“That’s a lot to work through, to process. Leif, whenever you’re ready, I think you should tell Kabbu and Vi. I think they could help you more than I could. You three are very fond of each other. They’ve been there for you through more than I could ever be. I believe they know more than you think, or at least have an idea of what you went through.”

Leif shook his head.

“We haven’t told them yet. We need time. Time to process what happened to us.”

Venus nodded.

“That’s understandable. Do you think you can fall back asleep?”

Leif nodded.

“It might take us a while.”

Venus nodded.

“I think I can help with that.”

A sweet smell surrounded Leif. His eyelids started to droop.

“Next time, please give us a warning before you do that.”

“Alright.”

Venus watched as the moth slumped over on the floor, starting to quietly snore. She smiled, carefully lifting him onto the bed using a couple vines. She pulled the blanket close to his face. Before she disappeared underground, she whispered to the moth.

“I hope you have sweet dreams this time, Leif.”


End file.
